Day 14 - Kusadasi and Efes

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We had to be off the ship early this morning to meet our guide Emret. So we enjoyed an early breakfast on the ship then, as soon as they opened the gate to let us off, we were on our way to another amazing day in Turkey.

Emret and the driver were caught in the traffic of hoards of busses coming into the harbor area for the gazillions of tourists from the other huge cruise ships. Even though we started out a tad late we made it to Efes before most of the huge crowds.

Efes (Ephesus) was one of the seven churches of Asia Minor mentioned in the Bible. It is important to know that Efes was the largest city in its day, with over 250,000 inhabitants calling it home. It featured some of the same ingenious Roman engineering features we saw in Heiropolis and Aphrodisias. They were sister cities but, because of its proximity to the sea, Efes was a center for international trade. Money changers sat in the huge central market to change currency from one to another so goods could be bought and sold fairly.

Across from the market was the huge theater, which could hold more that 25,000 for entertainment or religious events. This also included gladiator shows where they may fight one another, or take on a lion or other wild beast. Underground tunnels provided access for the entertainment. The central stage area could also be flooded to reenact famous maritime battles or notable sea adventures.

Next to the theater was the brothel, and across from that was the Celsius Library. The library contained over 3000 “books” mostly on parchment or papyrus. One could not take them from the library but anyone could come spend hours poring over them, finding a suitable reading nook on one of the three floors. Cleopatra spent hours studying the books in the Celsius and at one point ordered all of them removed and taken to Alexandria where they eventually were destroyed in a fire.

Up the hill and adjacent to the library were the remarkable Terrance houses. This set of houses, for 6 families, were remarkably well preserved and serve as a very clear example of home life in those days. Separate houses in one “community” segment served all of them. A very efficient heated water system delivered warm water through terra-cotta pipes to each house, to warm floors and provide for daily essentials in the privy. Rugs were not yet invented so tile mosaics covered all the floors in intricate patterns. Many of the walls remain with their beautifully painted frescos. Every home had a central fountain and pool. They served to provide humidity, cover sounds and add beauty.

Moving up the hill one can see the Asclepius (doctor’s office) and across from that the public latrine. I have a picture of myself sitting on the same latrine when I was 17. The waste water efficiently ran through a channel underneath and a small fresh water channel ran in front to provide ample clean up resources after making a visit. The public baths were next door and, like the latrines, had a central pool for enjoyment while bathing. It was more of a social occasion than truly functional.

Many more wonders exist in Efes. The Virgin Mary moved to Efes after the death of Jesus. Her tiny house is nearby. The Apostle John was a close friend of hers and lived in Efes for a number of years, preaching in the theater. The Apostle Paul is most well known for his time in Efes and carrying Christ’s messages to the people, both in the theater and in the streets.

After walking the entire city, which, by the way is only 15% of what is actually there, our driver picked us up and we headed to the rug maker for a demonstration of the art of making Turkish rugs. Only Turkish rugs are made with a unique double knot process which adds to their longevity. We watched ladies making wool, cotton and silk rugs on special looms. The patterns they use come from their own family regions, each style being unique to their heritage. We also saw how they extract silk from the silkworm cocoons, a process that destroys the silkworm, but each cocoon yelled over 15 kilometers of silk! That I find simply amazing!Later we were given the “hard sell”, tea included, by a very determined rug dealer whom we left disappointed for the day. If I had an extra $12,000 burning a whole in my pocket, one of them would have gone home with me for sure!

Then our guide took us high into a village call Syringe (Sheringay) for a Turkish lunch. When I say high, I mean HIGH! We walked straight uphill for about a kilometer on very uneven cobblestones to reach a small family restaurant for a meal ordered by our guide, because no one spoke English. The lunch was delicious but then we walked part way down the hill to experience a true Turkish coffee. The authentic way to make Turkish coffee is to slowly boil the water with the fine grounds in hot sand. The resulting product is very thick and strong, more like espresso but even thicker. I even waited for the remaining grounds to dry to have my “fortune told” by my guide. He made up something about mountains and horses and I told him I saw camels. So we decided to leave fortune telling to the “experts”.

A quick visit at the temple of Artemis rounded out our day on the way back to the ship. There isn’t much to see there, rubble and few column bases are all that remain of the temple. The church of St. John, where he is buried, is also there but it is closed for renovation so we were unable to see much. We headed back to the ship to refresh for dinner.

Then came the evening…a most extraordinary evening. It was one of of the most amazing evenings of my life. While it was special to spend time in Efes as a teen and to revisit these places today since it has been more than 45 years. (I can’t believe I am that old but I got out the calculator to be sure). Tonight we were taken back to Efes for a fabulous dinner on the white marble harbor street. It is so named because it used to lead directly to the sea. Flooding and erosion over the centuries has moved the shoreline more than 7 km away. Our cruise line arranged a special white glove dinner for us on the 2000 year old marble street between the columns and under the stars.

To think that I took an authentic, 5-course Turkish meal, on the same marble where Mark Antony and Cleopatra once strolled. Paul and John preached and likely took small meals along the same street. I had goosebumps all evening, not only from the night chill, but from the sheer wonder and amazement of it all. We boarded our busses back to the ship, but I didn’t want to leave. I know we were on the last bus, and I would have happily slept on the grass with the stray dogs and cats all night!

Another 9 miles in the record books, and I was ready for bed. Tomorrow is Bodrum, a coastal town on the Aegean.

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